Rugby Borough 6
Morris 13, 43, Greenslade 45+2, 73, Potts 46, Whipp 53
Argyle 2
Dandridge 16, 58
Argyle Women suffered defeat at The Nationwide Windows Arena on Sunday, with defensive errors costing the Greens as they slumped to a 6-2 loss.
Rugby Borough took the lead 14 minutes in, but Argyle's Rebecca Dandridge quickly responded after forcing a mistake from Rugby goalkeeper Erin Foley.
Chances came for both sides to take the lead, but the home side took theirs before the break, racing into a two goal lead. Former Argyle striker Lily Greenslade and Katy Morris were the scorers.
The second half began with Rugby extending their lead further, getting two goals in the first 10 minutes of the half, but Dandridge kept the Greens in the match via a long-range goal from distance in the 58th minute. Possession changed hands repeatedly following Rugby’s fifth, with both teams troubling the side's defence. The final goal of the match came from a Greenslade penalty, who struck the ball past Read and into the bottom corner.
The first half began with Borough testing the Argyle defence. After struggling to break down the visitors backline, midfielder Lucy Whipp tried her luck from the edge of the area, but her shot flashed over the crossbar. Five minutes later a loose ball from a ricochet played the striker through on goal, but her effort from close range failed to beat the reactions of Read, who palmed the shot over the crossbar.
Four minutes after Greenslade’s chance, the home side took the lead through Katy Morris, who tapped in a driven ball towards goal from Angelina Nixon, however, Argyle responded swiftly to Rugby’s goal with one of their own. Midfielder Dandridge equalised for the Greens after pressuring the Rugby defence into an error. A weak back pass resulted in Foley clearing the danger into the path of Dandridge, allowing the pacey midfielder to level the scoreline.
Periods of lengthy possession followed the goals, with either side testing the opposition's defence, but Borough regained the lead in the dying embers of the first half. A cross into the area via Greenslade found the head of Morris in the penalty area. Argyle then found themselves two goals behind as Greenslade extended Rugby’s lead further, smashing the ball past Read before the referee blew for the break.
The second half saw Rugby continue to extend their lead, with the home side scoring two goals in quick succession. Nicky Potts slotted home Rugby's fourth after placing the ball past the onrushing Read, before Whipp grabbed Boroughs's fifth after breaking into the Argyle area.
The momentum of the match changed following Rugby's goals, with Argyle having numerous chances of their own. Dandridge secured her brace in the 58th minute after winning the ball back in midfield and firing the ball towards the far post, beating Foley who was off her line.
Fired up by Dandridge's goal, Argyle continued to take the game to the opposition. Full-back Katie Dickson attempted to beat Foley from range with a flurry of shots, but they were all caught comfortably. Forward Charlotte Whitmore also had a chance in the area to narrow the margin but was unable to release a shot goalwards following heavy pressure from two Rugby defenders.
Despite Argyle’s dominance, it was Rugby who had the chance to add to the scoreline from the penalty spot. Greenslade blasted the ball into the bottom corner securing Rugby's sixth, but Argyle continued to take the game to the home side until the referee blew for full time.
Argyle's final chance of the match came via Dandridge, who after colliding with the keeper in the area slotted the ball into the back of the net but the referee deemed the initial collision a foul, keeping the scoreline at 6-2.
Argyle now look to break their streak of negative results away from home to Cardiff City Ladies in the FAWNL League Cup, this coming Sunday.
Argyle: 1 Jasmine Read, 2 Katie Dickson, 5 Pangiota Papaioannou (c), 7 Charlotte Whitmore (24 Grace Perrins), 8 Imy Crawford, 9 Ellie Sara, 10 Rebecca Dandridge, 13 Grace Smith (15 Georgie Knott), 14 Tamsin Med-Gill, 17 Libby Waylen, 19 Erin O’Shea (20 Fern Orchard).